Moon Rose
by Kiki Yushima
Summary: A shipping compilation based in my personal interpretations of the RWBY characters. Many are rather different from their canon counterparts. This is mainly just for me to have fun writing whatever ships I want.
1. Quiet Embrace: Qrow & Winter

There's a quiet place / In my embrace / A haven of safety where / I'll dry your tears / Shelter here / In my care

* * *

Just a few quick points.

First, this compilation is based off of my non-canon characterisations for the characters. Really, this is just for me to have a bit of fun writing shipping stuff in my universe and playing with character dynamics. So don't come in here expecting the canon characters.

Second, this particular piece is written a little strangely because I have a rewrite of the series planned, but my brain's fighting me on it, so I haven't actually written it yet. Because of that, I've left some things purposely vague to avoid spoilers, though there are a few allusions to a pretty big one for it. This scene takes place anywhere from mid V2 to early V3 and picks up after Winter basically forces her and Qrow to talk due to her sister and his nieces being on Team RWBY and she ended up having a massive breakdown.

Third, the poem at the end of the piece is The Cloths of Heaven by W. B. Yeats.

* * *

Qrow fell silent as he watched Winter sob. Damn. Just… _Damn_. He'd wanted to avoid this because of how much of a bit he'd thought she was but… After Ruby and Yang had insisted… Now he just…

Damn it all.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Look, Ice— Winter—" It'd be hard to stop calling her that after six years of it but now… "—I didn't mean to make you spill everything. You didn't have to reveal _that_ much to me…" She'd dredged up damn near every skeleton in the Schnee family's closet. He had known Jacques was twisted, but he hadn't expected the festering carcass that laid behind those blue eyes.

Winter forced herself to sit up and wiped her tears away, though they continued to fall. He pulled a few tissues from his pocket and she hesitated before taking them. "Thank you, Mist— I mean, Qrow. And it's not your fault. Everything just sort of…came tumbling out. In the end, I'm nothing more than twenty-two years of repressed emotions and unresolved trauma." SHe closed her eyes and sighed, shoulders dropping. He couldn't hate her anymore… Not after learning all of _that_ … His heart really did go out to her. In some ways, she reminded him of—

He shoved the unbidden thought aside, rubbing the bottom of his nose with a finger. "Are you gonna be all right tonight? I know how hard it can be to not have a support network." He hated getting personal and didn't want to, but after she'd _shattered_ her pride like that… It wasn't fair he didn't offer her at least a little in return. He just… He couldn't stand to see somebody hurt like this. Plus, it wasn't like Jimmy could offer her any emotional support…not that she was even in Vale on his orders…

A light dusting of pink entered the colonel's cheeks and his own heated when he realised the unintentional implications. He covered his mouth with a hand and coughed awkwardly. "Er… Winter… I didn't mean it like— I just mean that I know you don't want Weiss to see you like this, and after baring your soul like this to somebody… I just know it helps to have somebody on hand to talk to if you need it." He couldn't count the number of times his mother, sister, and especially Summer had been there for him after he'd had a break dover something his Semblance had caused. It was just…hard to have constant bad luck. He didn't want to cause Winter any troubles but… He wasn't about to tell her to go suffer in silence again after she'd been forced to for twenty-two years.

Winter's gaze drifted down to her hands and she sighed again, closing her eyes. It took every ounce of self-restraint he had to not reach out and offer physical comfort, but with her so shattered at the moment… The last thing she needed was a man that had antagonised her for six years was to hold her. Her head just bowed and she nodded. "I…really don't think it'd be a good idea for me to be alone tonight. I just…" She covered half of her face with a hand, more tears pouring down her cheeks. Ancestors, he'd never thought he'd see Colonel Winter Schnee in such a sorry state but…

He grabbed one of the sticky notes off of Ruby's desk and jotted down an address and room number. "It's the hotel I always stay at. Nobody there'll ask questions. They all keep their mouths shut." It took a pretty lien to keep everything hushed, but it was better than info leaking out. Ozpin would've had his ass on a silver platter had he heard some of the things he said while shitfaced.

Winter gave a small nod and stood up. "I'll be there later. I need a little bit of time to gather my things and get a less conspicuous outfit…" Civilian dress or not, it was still too high end for the neighborhood he was staying in.

"Here." He took the note back and jotted his number down. "Shoot me a call or text when you're close." It'd just give him a bit head's up so he wasn't blindsided by her arrival. She just gave a nod. He left the dorm, giving a small grunt.

He had a bit of cleaning to do.

Qrow's scroll buzzed a little over an hour later, number unknown. _About two blocks and ten minutes away_. Well, at least that confirmed it was Winter. With a sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck and phoned the front desk.

"Hey Joe, someone'll be here and ask for me soon. Send her straight here and keep your damn mouth shut about who she is to anybody." He knew how important Winter's reputation was to her and didn't want it ruined by this getting out. She was cold and proud for _good_ reason and he wasn't about to shatter her pride more than she already had herself not too long ago.

A soft chuckle answered him on the other end. "Got another lady friend coming for you, Qrow? You know I always—"

" _I will fucking castrate you if say another bad word about this or say anything suggestive to her._ That or this whole damn build will go up in flame because of my Semblance." The line crackled quietly, a soft click being the only answer. Winter had enough to deal with at the moment and didn't need some snide, suggestive asshole comment when she arrived. He had a good relationship with Joe and knew the outburst wouldn't dampen it at all. Plus, he was the man's best patron when in town, so he wouldn't betray his trust. He just shook his head and turned the knob, opening the door a little to let her have instant access.

About ten minutes later, a soft knock sounded on the door and it creaked open a little. He looked over his shoulder from the chair, sighing when he saw her cover her mouth. The scent of whiskey permeated the room, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. "Sorry 'bout the smell. I did what I could, but there's only so much an hour of airing out can do." He felt bad for subjecting her to to such a bad trigger, but none of the other rooms were open.

She pulled the hood down, her white hair falling around her shoulders and shook her head. "No, it's fine. I'll adapt soon enough. With how bad Willow was last I saw her, I'm used to it." She leaned against the door and closed it, clicking the lock and drawing the chain. Her grey-blue eyes drifted down and he could sense just how _lost_ and alone she felt. It reminded him of Summer in their earliest Beacon days. He shook the thoughts away and motioned for her to come in more. After a moment of hesitation, she walked over to the table and opened the bag, starting to pull a few folders out.

But he stood up and put a gentle hand over hers. She tensed slightly under the touch and he released her, giving a shake of his head. "Winter, when was the last time you really got to rest? You've been busy for the past few weeks especially here in Vale. Dealing with investors, organising finances, training the kids for the Vytal Festival, helping Ironwood try to root out the White Fang… Have you gotten a full night's sleep since the fallout?" Honestly, the fact she still had makeup on was telling enough. She'd shattered her emotional pride, but she wanted to maintain at least a modicum of it physically.

Her expression and shoulders just fell, head bowed. "…I'm lucky to get four hours right now. I'm exhausted but there's just so much left to do…"

Qrow pulled his chair up next to hers, though not close enough to touch her again. He wasn't going to pull a Jacques, so he just gave a nod of understanding. "I get it. You have a lot of important jobs to handle. You don't want to let anything escape your notice, but wearing yourself down like this isn't helping anybody, Winter. You can hide from basically everyone else, but I see how ragged you're running yourself." He kept his tone soft and gentle, but she closed her eyes and brought a hand over them. It was surprisingly difficult to see her like this. He'd always just thought of her as some sort of perfection machine, but seeing her human side…

She put her bag on the ground and actually pulled her knees into her chest with a heavy sigh. "I know, but we both know the higher ups of the SDC will exploit me at the first sign of weakness they see. Angered over Mister Gelé's attempt at line theft or not, I'll be prey if I waver for even a moment." Her hand shifted to cover a side of her face. Her words hung in the air and he could hardly blame her for being exhausted. The past couple of months had _not_ been kind to her, Weiss, and even their bratty little brother. At least she didn't have to worry about him since she'd brought him to Beacon with her…

"How about we stop talking about this and move onto more pleasant things?" This was supposed to be a reprieve for her, not drive her further into the ground by discussing her issues. She needed somebody to confide in, sure, but right now? She just needed a bit of quiet and relaxation.

Thankfully, she gave a small nod and he fished a book out of his bag. She raised an eyebrow at the volume of Atlassian poetry, making a bit of heat come to his cheeks. "I didn't take you for the cultured type."

"…I never managed to give it to the person who asked for it." He'd been on a mission in Atlas to see about locating one of the Order fountains, so Summer had asked him to pick up the book for her while he was there. It was a signed copy from the author which is why he'd had to pick it up. Her last mission had been while he'd been there.

Winter remained silent for a few moments before nodding. "I see. Why did—"

"Winter, you need to sleep. Please." She just looked down and away. "I'm not judging you anymore. If not for yourself, then for Weiss. She'd worry if she saw how exhausted you were." He felt _awful_ for trying to make her do something when Jacques had controlled her so much for so long. But she was killing herself and nobody seemed to be able to slow her down…at least until now. He was trying to be gentle about it but…

She pushed herself out of the chair and wobbled a bit. A gentle touch supported her back and he felt the subtle tremor pass through her, but he could feel her shaking worse from the sheer exhaustion rather than fear. He helped her over to the bed where she all but collapsed. He pulled the covers over her and settled her head in his lap, running a hand through her hair. Despite everything, he felt her lean into the touch a little and he couldn't help but smile faintly. She didn't like being touched, but she still craved physical contact like most people.

"It'll be all right, Winter. You're safe here." She gave a small nod and closed her eyes, letting out a heavy sigh. It took him only a moment to crack open the book and read a random poem.

" _Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,_  
_Enwrought with golden and silver light,_  
_The blue and the dim and the dark cloths_  
_Of night and light and the half light,_  
_I would spread the cloths under your feet:_  
_But I, being poor, have only my dreams;_  
_I have spread my dreams under your feet;_ _  
_Tread softly because you tread on my dreams."

It didn't take a genius to feel her slow, steady breaths and the lack of tension in her body, though she curled into a ball on her side. He continued petting her head gently, the tension continuing to melt away bit by bit.

"Sleep well, Winter. Nobody will harm you tonight."


	2. Sonata: Jaune & Winter

Winter felt herself smile as she walked the grounds of Beacon, moonlight turning her hair to candled torchlight. She'd swapped out her uniform for a simple button-up blouse, slacks, and flats, but she let her hair down. Middle of the night or not, she wouldn't appear anything less than perfect.

She knew she should've been asleep, but the stress wasn't letting her. Pulling triple duty as the SDC's new president, Ironwood's aide (even at a distance), and an instructor for JNPR and RWBY… It was taking its toll on her, but there wasn't much she could do about it. Coco had tried to get her to rest, but the end result still tended to be her wandering Beacon's grounds like now.

The smile vanished as she turned her thoughts to JNPR. They were all doing exceptionally after just a few days under her instruction except Jaune. SHe could tell he had likely faked his transcripts to get into Beacon from his sheer lack of ability. Surely Ozpin could tell she could see his resolve and desire to improve, but he flinched whenever she spoke to him. Figuring out how to teach him was proving difficult, but she was doing her best to be gentle. How to make it better, though,s he just didn't—

The sound of a familiar voice broke her thoughts and she crept through a nearby grove of trees. Her eyebrows raised when she saw Jaune running through the drills she'd set him to after school the previous day. He really was dedicated to bettering himself, but it was well after curfew. Surely he knew that if he got caught, it'd result in punishment for his whole team…?

However, her eyebrows drew together as she watched him. She hadn't been able to give him the deeply individual attention she had wanted to, so this told her a lot. The way he moved, the underlying fluidity with which he shifted his weight, the subtle but precise measures of his feet…

A faint smile formed on her lips.

Well well. She'd at least found the key to helping him understand the basics. Speaking to him was another matter, but one step at a time.

"Mister Arc, you _are_ aware you ought to be in bed, correct?" Winter spoke softly and he froze in place, eyes wide as his head whipped around to look at her. He put his sword and shield on his belt, looking down and away. She could already feel his confidence dropping just by being in her presence, but she didn't comment on it.

"Y-Yeah, but Ij ust couldn't sleep… With the Festival in a few months…and how pathetic my skills are…" His voice shook and he closed his eyes. She could hardly blame him. Flynt and Neon were constantly calling her for advice on what to do for training. It was difficult with her on leave, but she did what she could for her personal students.

She let the topic slide and offered Jaune a genuine smile for once. "Tell me, Mister Arc, how skilled are you at dancing?" That got his head to snap up, eyes still owlish. Her smile grew a bit more as he visibly relaxed. She always liked to put her students at ease as much as possible.

"I'm… Well, my parents are dance instructors, so I'd say I'm pretty good." Just from his tone and body language, she could tell he enjoyed it. And perhaps she was onto something with the questions; she'd keep it up and see how he responded.

"Would you be willing to show me by leading?" She kept her tone soft and gentle as always when handling him. He actually smiled for once and held out his hand. She silent wished she'd worn her usual heels, but the three-inch height difference wasn't the worst thing in the world. She took his hand and offered him an encouraging smile. She wouldn't push him faster than he was comfortable at.

After a few moments of bobbing his head, he found the timing and they fell into an easy waltz rhythm. She was honestly surprised by his smooth glide, but she kept perfect time with him. He was even better than General Ironwood, and many of the Atlassian upper-class men she'd danced with. Then again, it was something he clearly loved, so that probably made the difference. Not everybody loved what they'd been born into, so she was glad that was the case here.

They cycled through several different cycles both fast and slow at her request and started to stop until a mischievous smile formed on her lips. In less than a heartbeat, she'd flipped the hold she had and pulled him into a waltz. He blinked and stumbled but recovered quickly, following as naturally as he had led. Definitely quite impressive and spoke to his potential.

She ended the dance a few minutes later and he looked at her, eyes wide. "Wow. I-I knew you'd be an amazing dancer, Win— I mean Colonel Schne, but—" His cheeks dusted pink but she shook her head, the faint smile graced her lips.

"It's quite all right, Mister Arc, but I digress. Would you like to guess why I had you do that?" He rested his hand on his chin, the gears in his mind whirring. Winter just remained silent, still offering him the gentle smile until he sighed and shook his head several minutes later.

"N-No… I know ou have a reason but…" He just dropped his head.

"Would you be willing to retry those drills from earlier with a small addendum?" He glanced at her but nodded, pulling his sword out. "On my count." She raised her hands and started clapping at a steady beat that matched the drills. Almost instantly, his clumsy, imprecise movements tightened and he focused more. His weight shifts became lighter and more fluid, his strikes roughly hitting where she wanted. There was still a lot of work to be done, but for such a small change, it was impressive improvement.

She stopped after a few minutes and he stared at her. "What…What just happened?" She couldn't help but chuckle a little bit, grey eyes sparkling as she looked at Jaune.

" _That_ is the essence of combat, Mister Arc. While there are a great many things that differ, the foundations of combat and dance are the same: timing, precision, and intuition for unexpected changes in the flow. I said before I believe you have great potential, and I still stand by that assertion. This just cemented it even further for me." His eyes widened further, his cheeks turning a rosy red. She rarely used praise, so this was the highest level she could give. He seemed overloaded and just nodded, combing his fingers through his bangs. She put a hand on his back, nudging him toward the dorms." Go get some sleep, Mister Arc. You still have a lot of training to do after class."


	3. Sunset: Yang & Jaune

Yang leaned against the doorway as the sun sank below the horizon. The previous evening and day had been good since she'd gotten to spend it with Ruby and Qrow after having been gone for so long. Weiss and Blake were still missing to whatever corner of the world they'd disappeared to after the Fall. Probably Menagerie, but there was no telling.

There was one person she hadn't talked to yet, though.

The sunset framed him as he sat on the edge that overlooked the practice field. The dying light turned his golden hair to glowing embers and he throat stuck, right hand shaking. She couldn't avoid him for long and she knew it. Taking a deep breath, she walked over and sat next to him, though he looked away, turning from her a bit.

"...Jaune, how've you been?" He still didn't look at her and she sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"I'm sorry." That was enough to get a small glance, but he didn't move beyond that. She sighed again and rested her her head in her left hand, opening Summer's scroll and starting to flick through the pictures she herself had taken over the previous two semesters.

"What I said to you was wrong. I miss her too, and it's not easy without her." More than one of the pictures was just the three of them training or just getting into general hijinks. It was hard to believe those peaceful days of youth would never return especially with Pyrrha gone. If anybody should've died, it should've been her. At least Pyrrha would've been able to help unlike her sorry ass that had—

A soft sigh from Jaune made her look over at him and he pulled his knees to his chest. "I'm sorry too, Yang. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. You were at your lowest point and needed somebody, and after all you'd done to help me, I repaid you like _that_. I just… After Pyrrha finally said something and then…" Tears rolled down his face and Yang shook her head, pulling him close. He buried his face in her shoulder, entire body shuddering as he sobbed. It was so hard to see him like this. Yes, he'd always been a nervous wreck, but after Pyrrha had passed on, then died like that… She really could hardly blame im for being an emotional mess.

She ran a hand through his hair and threw the white cloak she now wore around his shoulders, rubbing his back. "We were both hurting and not thinking clearly. We're both at fault, but we're both kinda blameless. We lost someone dear to both of us and I got knocked down a few pegs." Her hand paused as it moved through his hair and she sighed. Nothing would ever be right with her body again, and she knew it. But she'd have to live with it so she would, no matter how much she hated it.

Jaune gave a small nod, holding back a body-wracking sob. "I-I'll kill her… The one w-who…" He sobbed again and Yang shook her head. Dear gods, she really shouldn't have shut down like that. They'd all needed her so badly, but she'd abandoned them. Especially Ruby…

"Revenge isn't the answer, Jaune." She closed her eyes and put her head against his, heart pounding. She knew she sounded hypocritical with how she'd fumed over wanting to kill Adam after learning what he'd done to Blake and what Jacques had done to the Schnee siblings. Even Whitley. Especially Whitley. But her time with Persia had taught her a great many things about forgiveness or, at the very least, moving forward in a healthier way.

"A-Aren't you going to…kill Adam if…" He hiccuped up and she dragged her fingers along his scalp. She'd been such a fool to leave him when he'd needed her so much…

" _Only_ if a chance comes up. I won't go out seeking him. Hate only begets hate, violence only leads to more violence. The only way to truly break the cycle of hate and malice is through forgiveness, acceptance, and other means. Sometimes people do have to get hurt or even die, but it should be a _last_ resort, not the _first_ ." He looked up at her, blue eyes wide and she offered him a soft smile. She never thought she'd say something like that, but learning from a veteran of the Great War that knew about Salem _really_ put things into perspective for her.

Jaune just returned to his previous position and continued sobbing. "I miss her so much, Yang…"

"I do too. But she'd want us to keep moving forward and not look back." She let her left hand drop from his shoulders and cover his, the warmth radiating out. After a moment of hesitation, he interlaced their fingers. Her smile just grew and she pressed her lips to his head, the familiar tune of Home wreathing around them as the last rays of light sunk beneath the horizon.

* * *

I'll leave any past shipping implications up to your imagination. :)

Also needless to say Yang had some SERIOUS character development during V4. I don't entirely know if everything in this oneshot will be congruous with events in future fics, but all of these are heavily non-canon to my universe anyway. I know general trajectories so I can write these without too much trouble

This was also written for a contest on dA. I do ship it, though, so it was all good with me


	4. Wings - No: Summer & Raven

Summer pulled the pillow over her head as Raven approached, trying to shut out the other girl before she even spoke. Nope nope nope. This wasn't happening. Nope. She hadn't just heard any of that from Ozpin. Nope. This wasn't happening. Nope nope no—

A firm hand wrenched the pillow off Summer's head and the tiny girl groaned. "Rae, please, don't."

"Summer, you heard Ozpin. We're the top team in the school, so we have to organise the dance. WHich means we have to go greet the arriving teams from the other kingdoms." Summer groaned again and pulled her hood over her head. Why? Why STRQ? Why her? She didn't want anything to do with this damned event but she had to go. What was with Ozpin's fixation on them? She didn't get it. She just wanted to stay in the dorm, but no; she needed to go and, knowing Raven, she was about to suggest something that would make her want to knock her teeth out.

"I know you don't want to go, but we have to so… Why don't we go together? I mean, we _are_ partners, after all…"

And there it was, the suggestion that made her want to strangle her best friend.

"…We're not friends anymore, Raven." Summer crossed her arms and rolled over, staring at the partition that made up her 'room.' Nope. She wasn't going to this stupid, forsaken dance if she could help it. She wasn't about to have a repeat of the math class incident from just a few months ago and cause an inter-kingdom incident. Nope. Not going to happen. Not at all. And Raven wasn't going to get her into a dress and those stupid lady stilts. Nope, not gonna—

She let out a small squeak as Raven grabbed the back of her cloak, hauling her to her feet. She started dragging her toward the door and Summer looked up at her incredulously. "What are you doing?!" She tried to tug her cloak out of Raven's hand but the other girl's grip was too much. Raven just gave her a stern look and shook her head.

"Summer, we have to go and you know it. Ozpin said so and you don't know how to dance, so I'm—"

"Like you know anything about ballroom?! You've only been out of the tribe for about a year!" How could Raven even pretend to know anything about how people outside of the tribe danced?! Sure, she'd told SUmmer about the active season, but even then, her exposure to this sort of thing was extremely limited. Hell, she _still_ reacted like a sheltered child to a lot of things!

All she got was a snort from her best friend. "I was interested to see how different dancing was from the tribe's so, I took lessons. Students and faculty offer a fair few free lessons on them all the time. You should pay more attention to the free offerings part of the school newspaper, Summer." And knowing Raven, she'd probably stuck with it for quite awhile since it took a fair bit of persuasion to get an idea out of her head once it was there. Damn it. There really was no getting out of this now that Raven had made up her mind.

Raven dragged her to one of the small rooms the school allowed the students to use for the aforementioned offerings. The only things inside were some chairs staked off to the side. Summer sighed and removed her cloak, causing Raven to smile instantly. "Did you change your mind?"

"Nope." Raven's expression fell and Summer sighed. "I just know how you get with stuff like this and it's better not to fight." She'd seen how Qrow and Raven butted head overs this sort of thing before and would rather not fight over it. She still really didn't want to be at Beacon but her teammates were making it enjoyable…for the most part. Plus, Raven had done so much to help her that she really did owe her at least this lesson. "So how does this work?" She was so far out of her damn depth with this…

Raven smiled and walked over, taking one of Summer's hands and placing the other on her hip. Warmth blossomed in her cheeks and Raven just chuckled. "I had the same reaction the first time since I wasn't expecting it."

Summer's cheeks burned more, and she lightly knocked her knee into Raven's. "Shut up and get on with it." That just earned another chuckle but it was only a moment later that they started moving across the floor. Summer stumbled a lot at first, but between her own accelerated learning curve and Raven's gentle nudges, they were soon fluid grace in motion. The small girl actually smiled as they moved and twirled in perfect rhythm with each other and the music playing from Raven's scroll.

After a few hours, Raven let her hands drop and both of them sat down. Summer exhaled and looked up at her friend. "Seems like you enjoyed yourself despite your earlier protests. It won't be as bad as you think. Plus, there'll be an Atlassian-style ball I'd love to go—" Summer just groaned and buried her hands in her face at Raven's ramblings. She was going to be roped into every major cultural event the Vytal Festival had to offer along with the fights they'd be in.

She loved Raven; she really did, but she was way too stubborn for her own good.


	5. Dinner: Blake & Yang

Blake's ears twitched as she removed her bow, looking around the empty house. This place was so quiet except for the sounds of dishes in the kitchen and she smiled a bit. Yang had really been taking all the times they'd cooked together into account as she could recognise her personal favorite spice and recipes in the air. Why was Yang going through so much trouble when she just could've cooked this in the dorm? Then again, Yang wasn't anything to do anything half cocked, and if she didn't want anyone to interrupt them…

She took her shoes off and headed in the kitchen, getting a grin from her partner. Per usual, she had her hair in a ponytail and an apron on as she flittled about the kitchen. "Sorry I'm late, Yang; the transport ship running behind by ten minutes behind made it a bit hard. Then a few small Grimm annoyed me on the way." They had only been small Beowulves without any armor, but it'd still added to the delay.

"Honestly, it's not a big deal. Rustling up dinner took a bit longer than I expected." Blake raised an eyebrow as she settled at the table, glancing at the frying fish in the pan. Rustle up…?

Her ears twitched as he throat tightened a bit. Yang had gone through the trouble of catching their dinner for that night? Yang always went above and beyond, but this was to an almost ridiculous level. Sure, they were partners at Beacon, but this was frankly a lot even for her. Just… Why? She didn't understand why Yang was going so far for a simple dinner. ANd she could smell the subtle hints of all the different spices and flavorings she loved so much. It was all tailored to her tastes. Why…?

She was just glad Zwei was still at the dorm with Ruby and Weiss.

Blake remained silent as Yang finished cooking and allowed her partner to set the table, knowing she'd get riled if she offered to help. When Yang sat her mind to something when it came to caring for others, she handled everything herself.

She smiled, though, as Yang sat across from her and the blonde returned the gesture. "I hope you enjoy it."

"I'm sure I will, Yang, but why did you go through this much trouble. I mean, there's nothing really special or anything you have to apologise for." This sort of thing wasn't uncommon when Yang felt like she'd done something _really_ wrong. Sure, she'd screwed up a few times over the past couple of weeks, accidentally triggering her into panic attacks or flashbacks, but that was just normal. Even Ruby and Weiss, careful as they were, could still trigger her into bad episodes like that. They should have all gotten used to it by now.

However, Yang shook her head, gaze glued to her plate. "…Last weekend." Blake's ears twitched a bit in confusion.

"What about last weekend? It was the dance, but you didn't do anything wrong. Weiss and I had a great time talking on the balcony so we didn't have to deal with people…" For as much as she feared crowds, the dance hadn't been so bad. Weiss hated events like that just as much as she did, so it'd worked out in the end. Weiss really did know how to avoid people…

Yang just shook her head, though, gripping her fork. "I promised you a dance a few weeks ago, but I completely forgot…" Her voice cracked a bit and she wiped her hand over her eyes.

Blake just blinked, ears standing straight up. That was it? That was the reason for this elaborate dinner? Something as simple as that? Sure, she remembered the promise, but even so… "Yang… It's not a big deal. You were busy greeting all the arriving teams and—"

"It's still a broken promise to you!" Her fist hit the table and Blake put her hands on the table, starting to stand, but she stopped herself. SHe saw the self-hatred in her partner's eyes and sat back down. "Blake, I'm so—"

Blake hesitated for a moment before putting her hand over Yang's. Her partner's eyes widened and she pulled back for a moment. Taking in a breath, Blake forced herself to calm. It was so strange to see Yang so throwed off. She'd never seen this sort of crack before, but through it, she was beginning to understand her just a little better. "Yang… It's really not a big deal to me. I remember the promise, sure, but you were busy. You were really the only one of the team willing and able to be the mixer. At least one of us had to greet the foreign students. With how timid or asocial the rest of us are, I can't hold it against you. It's a perfectly valid reason to not dance with me. IT would have reflected badly on Beacon if the organising team didn't have a representative there." She smiled at her partner, tone soft and light. She really did get it and hoped her tone would take out any sting her words might have had.

"…I just don't want to give you another reason to not trust humans." Yang's tone was uncharacteristically quiet and Blake just shook her head.

"…You've given me every reason _to_ begin to trust them, Yang. One small, understandable mistake won't break it. I don't think anything _could_ break my trust in you." She continued to smile and Yang looked up, shoulders still hunched over. After another moment of hesitation, she took Yang's hand again. This was so strange to do, to support Yang who had asked nothing and given of herself so freely, but right now, she needed it. She couldn't hate her over such a small transgression.

Yang managed a small smile and nodded, interlacing their fingers. "…Thanks Blake." Blake felt her cheeks heat but she didn't pull away, just giving a small nod.

…She probably wouldn't forget this night for a long time.


End file.
